


Book One: Air

by Iggity



Series: Avatar: The Legend of Korrasami [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Jealous!Mako
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 21:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7008751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iggity/pseuds/Iggity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Avatar Korra's life changes when Asami Sato hits her with her moped and offers to take her to dinner to make up for it.</p><p>Starting from 104 and moving onward, this is the series where Korra and Asami started their relationship in book one. I'll be adding tags as I go along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Voice in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! So this is already super fun to write because, really, baby bi beans being all bi and cute and awkward and stuff. Bless. No set update schedule but I will be posting the links to any updates over on my writing tumblr [IggityWrites](http://www.iggitywrites.tumblr.com)!
> 
> I'll be keeping the episode titles as the chapter titles so that you can follow along because I won't be writing every single scene over again, though I'll probably reference skipped scenes in some way. This is a series, so each Book will have its own fic.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and please, if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know either as a comment here or an ask on tumblr.

It was the screech of tires on cement that caught Korra's attention. Her eyes widened as she registered that there was someone coming towards her but she was flying backwards before she could do anything about it. She sat up and shook her head, hoping to rid herself of the daze that clouded her vision. 

"Oh no, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!"

Korra took a mental scan of her person to make sure nothing was life-threatening before grumbling out, "How could you _not_ see me? I was ju-"

Looking up, the stranger who had collided into her was taking off their helmet and Korra's objection trailed off. Long black hair flowed over strong shoulders and worried green eyes roamed her slightly crumpled form. The driver crouched down beside Korra.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Oh, I'm such an idiot!"

Korra cleared her throat as she was helped to her feet.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. My team mates hit me harder than that every day in practice," she reassured.

"Wait, I recognize you. You're Korra, right? You play for the Fire Ferrets!"

Korra grinned a bit and shrugged.

"Yeah, that's me."

"I am so embarrassed," the driver said, running a hand over her face. She took a breath and held out her hand for a handshake. "My name's Asami. Let me make this up to you somehow. Can I treat you to dinner? We could go to Kwong's. Eight o'clock tomorrow night."

Asami turned to head back to her moped. Korra raised an eyebrow and looked down at her water tribe outfit.

"I hear Kwong's is pretty fancy," she said. "These are the only real clothes I have."

Asami turned around, settling her helmet back in place. She looked Korra up and down before smiling warmly.

"I'll take care of that. All you have to do is show up. So... it's a date?" she said, adjusting her goggles back over her eyes.

"Um ... yeah, I guess so," Korra replied, flashing a grin. "I'll see you tomorrow night!"

* * *

Asami paced back and forth as she waited outside Korra's dressing room. She had consulted everyone she could think of about what type of water tribe dress clothes she should get for Korra and received several different responses. Settling on a dress, she hoped she hadn't made too many assumptions about what her date would prefer. When Korra finally stepped out of the dressing room, Asami felt her jaw drop.

"You look amazing," she said.

Korra's cheeks flared and she grinned back as her eyes roamed over Asami's outfit.

"So do you," she replied. "Thank you for this; it's beautiful."

Asami smiled and nodded her head before leading Korra to their table. As they settled, Asami noticed a slight slump in Korra's shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

Korra perked up and nodded firmly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Asami frowned slightly and laid her hand on Korra's forearm.

"I know we just met, but you can talk to me," she said gently.

"I just ... it's Avatar stuff, I don't want to bring you down," Korra replied softly.

"Hit me; I can take it."

Korra looked at her, obviously thinking over the offer. Asami reached out for her tea but kept her other hand on Korra's arm for physical support and finally, Korra cracked.

"There's a council member named Tarrlok who wants me to join his task force to take down Amon."

Asami's eyes widened and she turned her head to Korra, who was obviously gearing up for a rant. Asami brushed her fingers gently over the material of Korra's arm bands in support.

"Ever since that press conference for all of Republic City, the only thing anyone wants is for me to fix everything. I can't airbend yet, and that's the real reason why I'm here; Tenzin is supposed to teach me. He was supposed to move to the south pole to teach me airbending but he said he was needed here so I followed him and now Amon is threatening benders and stirring up hatred between benders and non-benders and people just expect me to be able to handle it all!"

Asami waited a few seconds before saying, "so are you joining the task force?"

"No."

"Is it okay if I ask why? You seem really worried about the feud between benders and non-benders, so why not try and end it by taking out Amon?"

"It's not that simple," Korra groaned.

Asami waited, giving the Avatar a chance to continue, but the girl only slumped forward slightly on the table.

"I'm a non-bender," Asami said softly, "but Amon is going too far. Taking everyone's bending isn't how you achieve equality."

"I agree."

"Are you scared of him?" Asami asked quietly.

Korra cleared her throat and sat back.

"So you like pro-bending?" she asked.

Asami nodded. Not wanting to make Korra uncomfortable, she removed her hand from Korra's arm.

"I am such a big pro-bending fan. I managed to catch to all of the Fire Ferrets' matches this season."

"Oh," Korra replied, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Guess that means you saw my debut, too."

Asami chuckled as Korra took a sip of her tea.

"I did. You were amazing once you found your rhythm. I can't wait to see you play in the tournament."

Korra coughed before saying, "yeah, well, we don't have the money to ante up for the Championship pot, so us playing isn't looking like something that'll happen."

Asami frowned slightly.

"But you made it in."

"Of course we made it in, we rock! But no cash, no play."

"Pardon me, Miss Sato," a voice drawled. "Your main course."

Asami held back a laugh as Korra's face lit up at the sight of food. The Avatar tugged the plate closer to her and then frowned.

"Everything okay?"

"Did he say 'Sato'? As in, Satomobile?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, Hiroshi's my dad. He created the Satomobile, and from there he built Future Industries."

"Wow. I had no idea."

"Yeah. Wanna meet him?" Asami asked, sipping at her tea, waiting.

The topic of Hiroshi Sato being her father was never a secret for very long once someone learned her last name. This did, of course, mean that people were constantly trying to use her in order to get closer to her father. Korra, however, seemed to shrink in her seat.

"Um, shouldn't we get through a couple of dates before we meet the parents?" she joked. Asami's eyebrow lifted and Korra continued. "Like, does your dad even know that you date girls? Is he okay with it? Is this even a real date or do you just feel badly for running me over?"

"He knows. I've dated girls before. He does, however, prefer it when I date boys. He thinks it makes for a more professional image." Korra was gaping slightly and Asami cleared her throat. "Sorry; still a little bitter."

"No, no it's fine. I didn't realize that you dated boys, too."

"Yup. Is that a problem?" Asami asked, bracing herself.

"Why would that be a problem? I've got a bit of a thing for Mako," Korra replied.

Asami looked right at the Avatar and smiled.

"He's very pretty," she agreed.

"I'd use the word 'hot', but I guess you wanted to avoid the pun," Korra teased, making Asami laugh.

They fell to comfortable silence for some time after, enjoying their food before Asami realized there was still an unanswered question.

"Korra?"

"Mhm?"

"I _do_ feel badly for running you over, but if you wanted, this could be a real date."

Korra's grin said all she needed to know.

* * *

"I cannot believe you talked me into this."

"I didn't talk you into anything. Your curiosity got the best of you."

"'We have something we want to talk to you about'. Yeah, why _wouldn't_ I be curious about that?"

Asami's laugh vibrated along Korra's spine as she stood extremely close to the Avatar. For comfort, Korra assumed. In the last two days, however, she had also learned that Asami Sato was very much a person who craved physical attention. Korra often found her hand or arm pleasantly occupied by Asami, and very quickly grew used to the close proximity that they were currently in. She was glad for the comfort at the moment, however, as she stood in the Future Industries factory waiting for Hiroshi Sato to appear.

Asami's arms slipped around her waist and gently squeezed as she breathed, "there he is, you can stop stressing now."

Korra felt her face flare up in a blush as Asami strolled away from her towards her father. As they greeted each other, Korra glanced around for a better look. Satomobiles stood beside rows of tables and workers while machines hummed around the room.

"Korra, this is my dad, Hiroshi Sato."

Korra's attention snapped back to the man standing in front of her. She held out her hand for him to shake, which he obliged to as she said, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise! So what do you think of my little operation here?"

"It's more than little!" Korra laughed. "It's very impressive, Mr. Sato."

"Oh, please. Call me Hiroshi. So," he said, glancing over at Asami, "I understand you're dirt poor." Korra's eyes widened as she spluttered. Hiroshi reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's nothing to be ashamed of! When I was your age, I was a shoe shiner. All I had at the time was the idea for the Satomobile. I was fortunate enough to meet someone who believed in me and in my work ethic. He gave me the money I needed to get my idea off the ground and with it, I built the entire Future Industries empire, all from that one selfless loan!"

"That's ... quite a story!"

"Asami's told me all about pro-bending, and how well you and your team mates play together. She also told me that you need thirty thousand yuans in order to play. I'd hate to see you lose your chance at winning the championship just because you're short a few yuans! So that's why I'm going to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the tournament!"

Korra blinked at Hiroshi before looking over at Asami.

"Are ... are you serious?"

"He's serious," Asami assured, a huge grin on her face. "My dad's going to cover your ante for the championship pot!"

"That's ... thank you, sir," Korra said.

"There's just one catch," Hiroshi continued. "You all have to wear the Future Industries logo on your uniforms."

"I think we can work with that!"

"Good! I'll get the cash sent over to the arena and Asami can help you get started on fittings for your new uniforms. I have to get back to work; pleasure meeting you, Avatar Korra!"

As Hiroshi left the factory, Korra felt lighter than she had in a long while. Asami walked over to her and cupped her face in her hands.

"You okay?"

"Still kinda stunned."

"You'll be just fine, I know it."

Korra pressed her forehead against Asami's shoulder and took a breath.

"There's a lot happening right now and Tenzin wants me back for airbending training," she murmured.

"I can drive you to the ferry."

"I really appreciate this, Asami. And I'm sure the boys will, too."

* * *

"A gala?"

"Yeah. Tarrlok wants to honour me or something. His assistant mentioned that all the big names would be there, so I assume you've already been invited but ... did you want to come with me?" Korra asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

Asami smiled and draped her arms over Korra's shoulders.

"As a date or ...?"

"As a date," Korra replied firmly. Her hands came up to Asami's waist, resting there. "Just keep in mind that there will be a lot of press and if you're not out yet, then it would probably be plastered across every newspaper worldwide. And it'll pretty much mean that we're dating."

Asami's smile grew as Korra bumped their noses together.

"If I can handle being Hiroshi Sato's daughter, then I can handle being Avatar Korra's date and girlfriend. This wouldn't be the first time I've been on the front page of the papers."

Korra grinned.

* * *

"I'm not sure what Tarrlok's plotting, but keep your guard up," Tenzin murmured as they walked into the gala. "It's not like him to throw a party just for the fun of it."

Korra frowned slightly, trying to look for Asami in the crowd.

"So glad you could make it, Avatar Korra!" Tarrlok appeared out of nowhere and started to lead Korra to another part of the crowd. "If you'll excuse us, the city awaits its hero."

Tarrlok led her around throngs of people while Korra kept looking for Asami. She nearly ran into him when he stopped suddenly.

"Korra, it is my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato."

Korra held back a smirk as she nodded her head respectfully towards Hiroshi, who returned the gesture.

"We're all expecting great things from you," Hiroshi said.

"Korra!"

Korra grinned as Asami hurried forward. Asami gripped Korra's arm and Korra bumped their noses together in greeting.

"I see you already know Mr Sato's daughter, Asami," Tarrlok commented, his voice rather strained.

"Korra!"

Korra looked up to see Mako and Bolin walking towards them and she grinned at her team mates. Asami wrapped herself around Korra's arm and Mako's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Hey guys," Korra said. "This is Asami. Asami, this is Mako and Bolin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both! Korra's told me so much about you!"

"Really?" Mako asked. "She hasn't said anything about you. How did you two meet?"

Asami blushed slightly as she muttered, "I accidentally crashed into her on my moped."

"What? Are you okay?" Mako asked, stepping forward slightly.

"I'm fine. More than fine, actually. Mr. Sato graciously offered to sponsor our team. He's covering our ante for the pot. We're still in the tournament!"

"That's great!" Bolin exclaimed. "Mako, isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Mako mumbled. "Terrific."

"Chief Beifong!" Tarrlok called out. "I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met."

Beifong glared at Korra for a moment before snarling, "just because this city's throwing you this big to do, don't think you're something special. You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this."

Korra deflated a bit as the chief of police stomped off, but Asami's warm hand on her back drew her attention.

"Don't listen to her; you're amazing," she whispered.

"She's right, though," Korra replied softly. "I haven't done anything to deserve this."

Asami pressed a chaste kiss on her cheek and squeezed harder on her arm.

"Forget about her. This is for you; enjoy it."

The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur as Tarrlok yanked Korra away from Asami to introduce her to people. Hours passed and she was led to a staircase, a sea of reporters looking up at her. She gazed around to try and find Asami but she was no where to be seen. Flashes of light disoriented her and she vaguely recalled stumbling over answers to questions she wasn't sure how to answer, but one question shone through brighter than the rest.

"Are you _afraid_ of Amon?"

"I'm not **_afraid_** of _anybody_!" she snapped. "If the city needs me, then ... then I'll join Tarrlok's task force and help fight Amon."

"There's your headline, folks!" Tarrlok announced as his arm slipped around her shoulders.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Korra pressed Asami against a wall, face buried in her neck and arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She shook her head but said nothing as Asami's fingers worked their way into her hair.

"Are you scared?" Asami whispered tentatively.

"I'm angry," Korra muttered. "I can't believe he managed to trick me like that."

"We'll work on your press-handling skills later, okay?"

"It's not funny."

"I never said it was. But you need the practice and who better to help you than Hiroshi Sato's daughter?"

Korra pulled back and looked at Asami, letting her nose brush against Asami's jawline.

"Thank you for coming with me," she whispered, leaning close to brush her nose against Asami's.

"You always do that," Asami said. "Why?"

"Do .. do you not like it? I can stop."

"No, no! It's cute. I was just wondering why that and not just actually kiss me?"

"My parents brush noses when they're being affectionate but it's too public a place for kissing. I thought it was a worldwide thing. Plus, I'm nervous about actually kissing you," Korra explained, blushing slightly.

Asami smiled warmly and leaned closer to brush her nose against Korra's.

"I like it," she whispered. "We'll take our time."

* * *

It had been nearly two weeks of working on Tarrlok's task force before Korra found herself in front of the media again.

"Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward! Amon, I challenge you to a duel!" she exclaimed. "No task force, no chi-blockers. Just the two of us, tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing. _**If** _ you're man enough to face me."

Dropping the mic on the podium, Korra stepped down and walked away, ignoring the clambering from the reporters. Once safely tucked away from the crowd, she pressed her back against the cool stone of the hallway, trying to calm down.

"Hey."

Korra looked over to see Asami standing a bit away.

"Hey," she replied, smiling.

Asami walked over and hugged her, nuzzling her nose against Korra's neck.

"You ready for our date?" she asked. "Or do you have more Avatar duties to complete?"

Korra wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and took a calming breath.

"I'm all yours."

Ten minutes later placed them in a carriage following a path through the park. Asami snuggled up against Korra's side, dozing softly. Korra let her fingers stroke through Asami's hair.

"I know it's really weird to say this," Asami murmured, "but I'm really glad I hit you with my moped."

"Me too," Korra laughed.

"I forgot to ask," Asami said as she lifted her head slightly. "You didn't accept the new boots I bought for you last week. Did you not like them?"

"They were great! But the boots I have were the last pair I made with my parents before I left for Republic City. They help me feel close to them, even though they're all the way in the Southern Water Tribe," Korra explained.

"You must be really close with your parents."

"It's been hard to stay close because of the time I spent with the White Lotus for my Avatar training, but we've managed. Are you close with your parents?"

"I lost my mother when I was very young. I'm close with my dad, though. In a way, my mom's death helped bring us closer together. It reminds us that we're all the family we have left." 

Korra wrapped her arm a bit tighter around Asami's shoulders as Asami snuggled closer.

"I feel so safe with you."

"It's because I'm the Avatar, isn't it?" Korra joked.

"You know it's more than that," Asami whispered.

Korra pressed her nose against the top of Asami's head.

"I know."

* * *

Korra stumbled into the kitchen on Air Temple Island, only to be met by Asami.

" _There_ you are!"

Asami flew into her arms and squeezed her tightly.

"Are you okay? What happened? Did Amon show up?"

Korra pulled back a little and cupped Asami's face in her hands.

"I'm fine. Amon was there, we barely fought. He knocked me out and took off. Too afraid to face the Avatar on his own," Korra boasted, but Asami saw through it.

"You're shaking," she pointed out quietly. "You don't have to tell me what happened, Korra, but please don't lie to me about it."

Korra's hands dropped to her sides and she hung her head.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to go to bed and try to fall asleep."

"Sounds good. I should get home anyway," Asami said as she brushed Korra's hair off her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Korra grazed her nose against Asami's and whispered, "see you tomorrow."


	2. The Spirit of Competition

Tarrlok had been less than impressed that Korra quit his task force, but after her scare with Amon, the Avatar was feeling less than capable in her abilities. The fact that he had captured her so quickly and had gotten under her guard so effectively, absolutely terrified her. She decided that she could stun two dragonbirds with one earthbending disk and practice her bending while practicing with Mako and Bolin for the pro-bending tournament. After a rather successful practice, Mako called for a team huddle.

"It's our first match of the tournament tonight. I know the three of us haven't been a team for very long, but even so, the Fire Ferrets have never been this good. Are we ready?" he asked.

"We're ready!"

"Not quite! You'll need these."

Korra looked up and grinned as Asami held up the new uniforms.

"Hey Asami," she said, walking over.

"Good morning, Korra!"

Korra wrapped her arms around Asami and they pressed their noses together briefly. Pulling away, Asami looked back in her bag for the other uniforms and began handing them out. Korra watched as Mako and Bolin lit up at their new uniforms and grinned.

"Well, teammates," she said, "I'll see you before the match tonight. Asami and I have a lunch date."

"Okay, we'll check you guys later, you know, we see you when we see ya!" Bolin called to them.

Korra wrapped her arm around Asami's shoulders and led her out of the gym.

"As much as I hate to say it, we need to have a quick lunch," Korra said. "Tenzin wants me back at the Island for training."

"Really? I've barely seen you this week," Asami said, face falling somewhat.

Korra moved so she could pull Asami into a hug.

"I know, and I miss talking to you and spending time with you, but Tenzin is really on me for airbending practice and then there's the tournament that I have to practice for, too."

"I know. That's what I get for dating the Avatar, huh?"

Korra grinned and pressed a kiss to Asami's cheek.

* * *

"Introducing our first team: the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!"

The crowd was deafening, and from Asami's seat, she could just make out Korra grinning.

"And their opponents: the Red Sands Rabbiroos!"

The Fire Ferrets quickly took over the game, so fast that Asami almost missed the entire thing. She launched out of her seat and made her way down to the changing rooms.

* * *

"Wow, we were really connecting out there in the ring!" Korra exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Mako replied. "You know, I kinda feel like the two of us have been connecting really well out of the ring, too. Like when you helped me save my brother?"

"Uh...sure," Korra said, setting her helmet aside and turning to look at him.

"So ... I was thinking that maybe we should spend some more time together?"

Before Korra could even say anything, Asami burst in and wrapped herself around Korra.

"Congratulations, guys! You were so amazing out there!"

Korra grinned as Asami kissed her cheek. Her grin faltered when she caught the hurt look in Mako's eyes as he turned away. She sighed and buried her face in Asami's neck.

"Want some dinner? My treat, for all of you!"

"I'm okay, thanks. I'm gonna go to bed; I'm beat," Mako replied.

"Yeah, me too. But thanks, Asami!" Bolin said, grinning at the two girls.

"How about you, Avatar Korra?" Asami whispered. "You up for some seaweed noodles?"

Korra looked up at Asami and smiled.

"Sounds pretty perfect right about now."

* * *

"Hey, who's that creepy guy over there who keeps glaring at us?"

Asami peered behind her.

"I'm pretty sure that's Tahno and the Wolfbats. They're the reigning champions for the last three years."

Korra glared right back and Asami had to stop herself from snorting at the adorable expression on her girlfriend's face.

"Korra, don't mess with this guy, okay? He's going to try and get under your skin, but if you hit him, you'll be disqualified from the tournament," Asami hissed as Tahno made his way over.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets' newest recruit," Tahno drawled. "Did you know you're playing on pro-bending's saddest excuse for a team? How did an amateur like you manage to luck your way into the tournament? Is it because you're boning Miss Sato here?"

Asami cleared her throat as soon as Korra tensed up. Tahno moved closer, bending over Korra to trap her in her seat before continuing with, "you know, if you'd like to learn how a real pro bends, I could give you some private lessons."

Korra rose to her feet.

"You wanna go toe-to-toe with me, Pretty Boy?"

"Go for it. I'll give you the first shot."

"Korra," Asami warned.

Korra stared Tahno down for a moment. She took a slight step back, pulled her fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly. The window shutters behind her flew open and a giant polar bear dog head snarled and growled. Tahno released a high-pitched squeal as he fell back into his groupies. He raised his arms and the Wolfbats turned to leave. Korra burst out laughing and collapsed onto her chair. Asami stared at her for a moment and looked back at the polar bear dog who was still in the window.

"Korra, where did that come from?"

"Oh, this is Naga! She's my best friend."

"She's huge."

"She's a polar bear dog, Asami, what do you expect?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting a polar bear dog."

* * *

The match against the Boarcupines was brutal. Mako was huffy and Korra knew it had to do with whatever Asami interrupted the previous night. That feeling nagged at her and threw Korra off her game. Apparently it threw Mako off, too, because if it weren't for Bolin, they would have been out of the tournament. Knowing something had to be done to fix it, Korra went looking for Mako.

"We need to talk," she said after finding him on a balcony.

"Save your breath," he mumbled, not making eye contact. "You've made it pretty clear that whatever feelings I have for you wouldn't be reciprocated."

"So, what? That's it? I don't end up dating you and now you're upset with me?"

"I'm upset with myself for thinking that I could have a chance with you!" he shouted.

Korra frowned and folded her arms over her chest. Mako's gaze locked on hers and his hands balled up into fists by his sides.

"Well maybe if you weren't being so _stubborn_ in the first place, I wouldn't be dating Asami!"

"Right, I'm stubborn even though _you're_ the one who acted like it was the worst thing in the world to have fallen asleep on my shoulder!"

"We barely knew each other! It was awkward!"

"Ugh, you can be so infuriating!"

"You drive me absolutely crazy!"

Mako's hands relaxed and he looked at the space over Korra's shoulder. She turned around and saw Bolin standing there, eyes wide.

"Hey guys," he said tentatively. "Mako, we have to start cleaning up."

"He'll be there in a minute, Bolin," Korra said before addressing Mako. "Listen, whatever chance we might have had is gone. I'm with Asami and I'm happy with her. But I know I'd be happier if you and I stayed as friends as well as teammates. You're infuriating, too, you know."

Mako frowned and brushed by her, following Bolin off the balcony.

* * *

"Korra?"

"What do you want, Bolin?"

"What happened with you and Mako? He's really upset and he even yelled at me."

Korra looked up and saw Bolin fidgeting with the seam of his shirt. She moved over on the bench and gestured for him to sit down.

"Why did he yell at you?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe constantly asking him what was wrong wasn't the best thing to do. But I'm worried about him, y'know?"

Korra wrapped her arm around Bolin's shoulders and squeezed softly.

"He'll be okay."

* * *

The semi-final match against the Buzzard Wasps was horrible. After nearly losing the entire game in the first round, Korra knew that the tensions between her and Mako, and Mako and Bolin were not helping their focus. Round two didn't fair much better as they opened with Mako accidentally hitting Bolin in the back with a fire punch. Bolin was knocked into the pool by the Buzzards, and Korra was so distracted, she forgot she was in a pro-bending match and ended up bouncing her opponent in the air, causing a forfeit for that round.

"I guess there's always next year," Mako mumbled as they huddled together before the final round.

"We still have a chance, even if it's a slim one. Look, if we don't pull together and work as a team, we'll never forgive ourselves!" Korra said.

"Let's just get this over with," Mako said, walking away.

Bolin and Mako were quickly knocked back into zone two. An earth disk rolled up Bolin's shoulder, right along the joint, and his cry of pain pulled Mako's attention enough that the Buzzards knocked him into the water. Bolin did what he could with one arm, but he was knocked off his feet and shot backwards into the water with Mako. Korra dodged as much as she could until she found her opening. Pulling the remaining water from her side of the ground, she propelled it forward as the Buzzard Wasps lined up. It hit them square in the chest and with ten seconds left on the clock, they were knocked out of the ring. By the time Korra got back up to the changing room, Mako and Bolin were hugging.

"Korra!" Bolin shouted. "That was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

"Thanks for not giving up on us," Mako said, a small smile gracing his face. "We never would have made it this far without you. I owe you. Big time."

"You're welcome," Korra said. "Are ... are we all okay now?"

Mako sighed.

"Look, I know things are really confusing right now, but ... yeah. I think we're all okay. Can we still be friends?"

Korra grinned at him.

"Definitely."

Bolin winced slightly as he moved his shoulder.

"I hate to break up the love fest, but can we get a medic in here?"

Korra moved over to him, sitting beside him on the bench.

"Here, let me help."

Drawing some water from the basin beside Bolin, Korra covered the injured area with water and started healing his shoulder.

"Ah, ah, no, that ... oh. Oh, that's the stuff!"

Bolin relaxed into the healing and Korra smiled. The door burst open and Asami charged in, winding her arms around Korra's waist from behind and pressing her face into the Avatar's neck.

"Korra, that was amazing! I've never seen a hat trick like that," she murmured, rubbing her nose closer to Korra's cheek.

Korra pressed a kiss to Asami's cheek as she finished up Bolin's healing.

* * *

"Things seemed tense in there. Is everything okay?"

Korra curled her arms around Asami's waist and Asami smiled at the slight pressure.

"Things are okay now. Mako and I had a fight about his feelings towards me and then Mako and Bolin had a fight about Bolin constantly asking Mako if he was okay."

Asami looked back at her girlfriend. Reaching up, she stroked Korra's cheek.

"But everything's okay now?"

"Yeah, we're all good now. Just need to fall back into the groove of it all. Practice tomorrow before the final match will help. We'll be okay for the game."

"I meant as friends."

Korra nuzzled her nose into Asami's hand.

"I think we're all okay as friends. I hope we're all okay as friends. We'll just have to see.


	3. And the Winner Is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short and a little dry but hopefully we'll be moving in to more korrasami than anything. I'm hoping to still keep the plot of the show but just add more korrasami moments throughout. We're getting there.

It was a rough day of training for the finals that night, but Korra had never felt more confident in her team than she did that day. 

"Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don't care if we _are_ the underdogs, we can take those Wolfbats!"

"It'll definitely be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right," Mako said, smiling at her.

Bolin jumped on Mako, imitating the pro-bending announcer as he said, "introducing your new champs: the fantastic Fire Ferrets!"

Korra was about to laugh when her attention was drawn to the radio on the table.

"Good morning citizens of Republic City."

A chill spread down her spine as she recognized the voice.

"No," she breathed.

"This is Amon. I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I'm calling on the Council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals. Or else there will be severe consequences."

The signal went silent and then music started up again.

"Man, that guy's got some nerve," Bolin spat.

"You think the Council will give in?" Mako asked Korra.

"I'm not waiting to find out," she replied. "We need to get to City Hall."

Korra tried not to let the fear of hearing Amon's voice throw her off as they traveled to City Hall on Naga. She needed her wits about her at all times. He had gotten under her defenses once, and that was more than she should have allowed.

"Korra, you shouldn't be here," Tenzin reprimanded. "This is a closed meeting."

"As the Avatar _and_ a Pro-bending player, I have a right to be heard," she replied. Her steps were quick and purposeful, but Mako and Bolin trailed behind her. "You can't cancel the finals."

"I know winning the championship means a lot to you," Tenzin pacified, "but as far as I am concerned, we need to shut the arena down."

"What about the rest of you?" she demanded. "Tarrlok, there's no way you're backing down from Amon, right?"

"Actually, Tenzin and I agree for once," Tarrlok countered.

"The Council is unanimous. We're closing the arena," Tenzin said.

"No!"

"You can't!"

"I don't understand," Korra addressed Tarrlok. "I thought you of all people would take a stand against Amon!"

"While I am still committed to bringing that lunatic to justice, I will _not_ put innocent lives at stake just so you and your friends can play a game."

"Pro-bending might only be a game to you, but think of what it means to the city!" Mako stepped in. "Right now, the arena is the one place where benders and non-benders gather together in peace, to watch benders..."

"Beat each other up!" Bolin jumped in helpfully. "In peace! It's an inspiration to everyone!"

"I appreciate you naive idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation."

"The reality is, if you close the arena, you let Amon win!" Korra debated.

"Yes! Exactly what she said!"

"I'm sorry, but our decision has been made." Tarrlok said. "This meeting is adjourned."

The mallet had barely started its descent when a metal cable shot through the air and shattered the head off the handle. Standing at the doorway was Chief Beifong, and she did not look impressed.

 _Though I don't think I would know the difference_ , Korra thought as Lin stalked up the aisle towards the Council.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," she said as she walked, "but I agree with the Avatar."

"You ... do?" Tarrlok asked.

"Yeah, you do?" Korra asked, confused.

"I expected this kind of cut and run response from Tenzin, but the rest of you?" Lin questioned. "Come on, show a little more backbone! It's time that the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists."

"We must prevent the conflict between benders and non-benders from escalating into all out war!" Tenzin snapped. "The Council is not changing its position!"

"Now, just a moment, Tenzin. Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind." Tarrlok drawled.

"If you keep the arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. There's no better force to deal with the chi-blockers as our armor is impervious to their attacks," Lin boasted.

"Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?" Tarrlok asked.

"I guarantee it."

* * *

"I heard Amon threatened the Council," Asami said, running her fingers through Korra's hair. At the sound of his name, the Avatar's breathing hitched. "Are you okay?"

Korra looked up at her and frowned.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Asami sighed.

"Korra, it's okay if you're afraid of him," she whispered.

Korra tensed under her fingers and moved her head from Asami's lap, nearly jumping to her feet.

"I'm not _afraid_ of anyone," she snapped.

Asami frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Korra had her back to her and was looking at the ground.

"Really? Because I felt what happened when I said his name."

Asami stood up and walked over to Korra, gently slipping her arms around the Avatar's waist. She pressed her forehead to the nape of Korra's neck and murmured, "you may be the Avatar but you're still only human."

Korra untangled herself from Asami and headed for the door.

"I'm fine. I need to get ready for the match."

And with that, she left.

* * *

Korra had never seen so much security in her life. Considering she grew up in a compound with the White Lotus, that was definitely saying something. As they made their way to the ring, Korra caught sight of Asami sitting in her box with her dad. Asami smiled and blew her a kiss. Korra blinked and gave Asami a small wave. Their fight before the match had thrown her off a little bit. She only hoped it wouldn't completely botch her performance in front of Tahno.

The match itself completely threw Korra off her game. The Wolfbats got away with so many illegal moves that she was surprised that her team had held on as long as they did. But as she hung on to the edge of the ring, she knew they needed to step up their game. Slowly, so as not to pull any muscles, she started to swing Mako back and forth. He got the hint and started helping her and together, Mako flipped up in the air over the edge and swung down a fire kick at Tahno.

"The underdogs survive to see round two!"

"What is _wrong_ with these refs?" Korra snarled.

"They've been paid off," Mako said. "It's the only explanation. Someone wants us to lose."

"If the Wolfbats are gonna fight dirty, then so should we."

"No, we can't! The refs have it out for us. If we're gonna win this thing, it has to be fair and square."

"That's no fun," Korra pouted, "but alright."

Round two was filled with so much ice and so many head-shots that Korra had to constantly remind herself that she wasn't sparring with someone. The round ended with her finally going toe to toe with Tahno in a tie breaker round. Fueled by her absolute hatred of the waterbender, she distracted him and managed to knock him off the platform, winning the round for the Fire Ferrets. 

The illegal moves continued until the game was won by the Wolfbats and their rock-in-water move. Korra's head broke the surface of the pool beneath the ring right as the chaos in the stands started. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was seeing a tall man submerging electric posts in the water.

* * *

Asami watched as Korra fell through the glass and headed for the smoking ring in the middle of the arena. Fear flooded her as she realized there would be nothing to break Korra's fall and that there was nothing she could do to help. Lin followed quickly after and Asami raced along to where she estimated Lin and Korra landing. As soon as they were standing, she threw herself at Korra, arms winding tightly as possible around her neck and pressing her face against the side of her head.

"Korra," she breathed.

Korra's arms wrapped around her waist and Asami sighed in relief.

"I'm okay," she murmured. "I ache, but I'm okay."

Asami pulled back and cupped Korra's face in her hands, her eyes roaming for cuts or bruises. The left side of Korra's mouth tugged up slightly and Asami pressed her forehead to hers, their noses brushing constantly. It was several minutes before they actually time alone together and Asami felt Korra melt against her.

"I'm sorry," Korra mumbled, her mouth at Asami's neck.

Asami sat them both down in the stands and stroked her fingers along Korra's cheek.

"What for?"

"Yelling at you."

"You didn't yell at me."

"I didn't?" Korra asked, eyebrows furrowing. "I thought I had."

"No yelling. You were very obviously upset, though. So I'm sorry I kept pushing you about it," Asami whispered.

Korra clambered out of her chair and knelt in front of Asami, head resting on her lap.

"He _does_ scare me," she said quietly. "He shouldn't, but he does."

"Korra, I mean it," Asami said. "It's okay to be scared. You're human, sweetheart. It's what happens."

Korra looked up at her, eyes red-rimmed and tears forming. Asami reached out and gently brushed underneath her eyes.

"I'm sorry about before," she said.

"I am, too," Asami said, pressing a kiss to Korra's forehead. "C'mon, we'll get you some water so you can heal yourself."


	4. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra accuses Hiroshi and it causes a rift between her and Asami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yIKES I AM SO SORRY Y'ALL!
> 
> Life gave me a thing? And now that thing is over so hopefully this won't have TWO MONTHS between chapters I'm so sorry.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who commented; I DID see them and I DID get a lance of guilt through my heart whenever I got the emails.

"I can't believe Tarrlok is calling for Beifong's resignation," Korra said, folding the newspaper in her hands. "If it wasn't for Beifong, the world would be without an Avatar for another decade. It's bad enough that the Equalists attacked all those innocent people!"

"I know, sweetheart."

"It's not fair! She's doing what she thinks is best!"

"I know."

Korra rested her head on Asami's shoulder and tossed the newspaper away from her.

"And now Mako and Bolin need a new place to live."

"Why not here?" Asami asked, stroking Korra's hair.

"I suppose I could ask Tenzin if there's room."

"I was thinking about maybe inviting them to the estate for a day. Maybe tomorrow? The four of us could hang out and go swimming and stuff."

Korra looked at her girlfriend and grinned.

"That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

"Guys? Great news; you don't have to go back on the streets! I talked to Tenzin and made all the arrangements; you can come live on Air Temple Island with me!"

"What? Really? Mako, you hear that? We can live with Korra!" Bolin exclaimed, jumping up and bundling Korra up in a bear hug.

"Wow. Thanks, Korra. That's really nice of you," Mako said.

"I also talked to Asami and she suggested that the four of us take a day and hang out at her mansion together," Korra continued as Bolin put her back on the ground. "Go swimming and talk and stuff?"

"Oh oh oh that'll be fun! When are we doing that?" Bolin asked, grabbing a nearby box and filling it with his things.

"She said something about it being tomorrow? Mako, are you interested?"

Mako cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah, sounds great," he said.

"Awesome! I'll see you both tomorrow at Asami's!"

* * *

"Did you hear that Beifong shut down Cabbage Corp?" Mako said as he stripped down to his bathing suit. "They found a lot of Equalist stuff in their warehouses."

"I heard about that when I went to the station for questioning. I also bumped into Tahno and saw Hiroshi," Korra said, swimming over to the edge of the pool.

"I was questioned, too," Asami said. She flipped her feet lazily through the water from her perch on the edge of the pool. "How was Tahno?"

"Not good," Korra replied, absent-mindedly running her fingers along Asami's calf. "He was really down. I can't imagine how he feels right now, not being able to bend."

"Do you think he'll ever get it back?" Mako asked, sitting beside Asami.

"It seems like a pretty permanent thing," Korra replied. "He said he'd been to Healers all around the city and no one could help him."

"That must be a horrible feeling," Asami said softly. "Living with something for so long only to have it be taken from you."

Korra pressed a soft kiss to Asami's knee while Mako slipped into the pool.

"The only thing we can do right now is figure out who the Equalists are and where they hide," he said.

"While you're doing that," Bolin called to them, "I'm going to actually enjoy myself! EARTH BENDING BOMB!"

The splash of water reached all the way over to where Korra and Asami were. Mako had ducked underwater to acclimate himself to the temperature and avoided the entire thing.

"Come swim with us," Korra said, gently circling Asami's ankle with her fingers.

"I suppose I can't ignore a direct request from the Avatar, can I?" she teased, shaking off Korra's fingers and slipping into the pool.

Korra laughed and nuzzled her nose against Asami's cheek.

"So, Asami," Mako called over. "What do you have planned for us today? Shopping? Make-overs?"

"I vote makeovers!" Bolin shouted.

Korra raised an eyebrow at her team mates but Asami just laughed.

"I had something a little more interesting in mind," she said. "We can do it now or we can swim for a bit longer. Up to you."

"Oh Mako, Mako, Mako! Let's do it now! I wanna see what it is!" Bolin exclaimed.

"Fine. Let's do it now," Mako grumped.

* * *

Asami was confident. Mako would like her by the time they completed the racetrack. Mako would stop throwing her dirty looks whenever she and Korra held hands or smiled at each other. Mako would get the hell over himself because by the time they completed the racetrack, he would realize that she was a badass and that she could take care of herself, even as a non-bender.

"Let's go for a spin," she said, tossing a helmet at the firebender.

Mako caught it with a surprised look and she flashed him a smile as she walked towards her car. She hopped in, setting up for the race. Mako clambered in behind her and cleared his throat.

"You like speed, Mako?"

"When it's appropriate."

"Then it's a good thing it's appropriate right now," Asami said. "Buckle up."

The drive through the track was refreshing for Asami, and after the fourth or fifth sharp turn, she thought she heard Mako whoop. The last few seconds were tight but as her opponent spun out behind her, she managed to snag first place. When she pulled to a stop, she hopped out and looked at Mako, who had a grin on his face.

"Alright, that was fun," he admitted. "You do this often?"

"Usually when I have to blow off some steam. Lately that's only been after seeing you," she teased.

Cheeks flushing slightly, Mako hung his head.

"I've been working through a lot recently, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"So, we're okay?" Asami asked, holding out her hand.

Mako jumped out of the car and took her hand, squeezing softly.

"We're okay. I'm sorry about everything. Start over?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

It was an adventurous trip to the ladies bathroom. The fight with the powder ... thing was certainly the girliest thing Korra had come across in several years. Though it looked good on Asami, she decided that it was not something that she wanted to experience for herself ever again. As she exited the bathroom, she was drawn down the hall by a stern voice.

"...exactly as planned." Korra frowned as she located the door the voice was coming from behind. She crouched down and peered through the lock. Hiroshi Sato sat at his desk, phone in hand. "Luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us enough time. Trust me, by the end of the week, we'll be ready to strike."  
Korra hurried away from the door as quickly as she could, rushing down the stairs and nearly flying out the front door. Asami's voice was the only thing that stopped her.

"Are you leaving without saying goodbye?"

Korra spun around and saw Asami walking towards her, eyebrow raised and the ghost of a grin on her face.

"Uh, yeah, I forgot that I have to, um, babybend, no, uh --"

"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah! I have to babysit the airbender kids!"

"Hey, hold on."

Korra swallowed as Asami stepped closer and slipped her arms around the Avatar's waist, pulling her against her.

"Yeah?" Korra breathed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Is this because I took Mako in the car?"

"No, I think that was really cool. Whatever you two talked about seems to have worked."

Asami's fingers trailed over Korra's jaw and the Avatar swallowed thickly.

"You really have to babysit?"

"Yup."

"Will you see me after?"

"Sure thing."

Korra placed a soft kiss on Asami's cheek and untangled herself from her girlfriend. She waved a quick goodbye to Mako and Bolin and then slipped out the door; she had to tell Tenzin and Beifong what she overheard.

* * *

"Korra? What are you doing?" Asami asked. "Why is Chief Beifong here?"

"I'm sorry... I overheard your dad on the phone yesterday. I don't know how to tell you this, but I think your father might be involved with the Equalists."

Asami frowned and crossed her arms.

"Excuse me? You _spied_ on my father? I don't believe this."

Asami stormed off towards her father's office, Korra trailing behind her.

"Mr Sato, we just have a few follow-up questions to ask you," Beifong said.

"My father is innocent!" Asami exclaimed as she burst into the room. "Just because we're not benders doesn't mean that we support those awful Equalists!"

"Equalists? Is that what this is about?" Hiroshi exclaimed. "I can assure you that I have nothing to do with those radicals."

"I heard you on the phone," Korra said. "You said that the Cabbage Corp investigation bought you time, and you're getting ready to strike. Explain that!"

"This is all just a misunderstanding," Hiroshi laughed, "resulting from the young Avatar's overactive imagination. My number one competitor was knocked out of the game. It's providing me an opportunity to strike the market with a new line of Satomobiles. It's just business; nothing nefarious."

Korra tuned everything else out, focusing on Asami's face. She knew her girlfriend was upset and hurt, but she had a feeling that Hiroshi was lying.

* * *

Searching Hiroshi's warehouses provided nothing except more anger from Asami.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Asami, I know your father is lying. There's something he's not telling us and it's important that we find out," Korra said.

"Korra, if you don't drop this, then you can consider our relationship over," Asami snapped.

"I'm sorry, Asami; I really care about you but your father is not the man you think he is. He's dangerous," she murmured.

Asami huffed as she turned and walked away.

* * *

In retrospect, the note that was slipped into her hand was certainly suspicious. So was the man who had snitched on Hiroshi and told them exactly where to find what they were looking for.

"I - can't - believe - we - fell - for - the - trap," Korra grunted, punctuating each word with a flaming punch.

It wasn't fun being torn between feeling proud of herself for knowing Hiroshi wasn't who he seemed, and feeling heartbroken over the look on Asami's face when Beifong metalbent the cover off of the secret, underground tunnel Hiroshi had built. It seemed fitting that she was facing off against her girlfriend's father, but when he slammed her against the wall with his mecha tank's platinum claw, she passed out.

* * *

"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar ... it was all just a big cover."

"Yes, and the most difficult part was watching my _daughter_ traipse around with the Avatar!" Hiroshi growled.

The glove Sato wore lit up as he and the mustachioed man walked towards Mako, Korra, Bolin, and Tenzin.

"Dad, stop!" Asami shouted. Hiroshi turned to face her and she felt her face fall; she had never seen that look on her kind father's face before. "Why?"

"Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this for as long as I could, but now that you know the truth, please, forgive me," Hiroshi said. Asami glanced over at Mako and saw Korra gaining consciousness. "These people, these _benders_ ... they took away your mother, the love of my life. They ruined the world! But with Amon, we can fix it and build a perfect world together! We can help people like us _everywhere_!" Hiroshi held out his right glove and Asami felt her heart speed up. "Join me, Asami."

Asami felt her bottom lip quiver slightly as she glanced over at Korra again; the Avatar was fully alert now, and staring right at her, worry flooding her face. Asami walked toward her father and took the glove. Sliding her hand into it, she felt around for the mechanism that would make it spark up.

"No," she heard Korra whimper.

Asami took a breath, focusing on the glove. She flexed her fingers to get used to the weight of the device, and then looked up at her father.

"I love you, Dad," she said.

With that, she engaged the trigger and reached out, shocking Hiroshi in the middle of his chest. The mustachioed man rushed forward, immediately attacking, but she easily disarmed him and shocked him as well. She turned to face the Fire Ferrets and saw all three of them standing there with their mouths wide open.

"Let's go!" she hollered, taking off towards the tunnel Bolin had made.

* * *

"I'm sorry this whole thing happened," Korra muttered.

Asami turned to look at her and Korra felt her face flush.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she murmured. "My dad turning out to be an Equalist is ... unbelievable, even now."

"I know what you mean. I'm sorry I was so forceful and I'm sorry I hurt you in the process. I didn't want that to happen."

Asami left her position at the pole she had been wrapped around and buried her face in Korra's neck instead. Korra immediately shifted position to hold her properly, hooking one arm around her waist and the other hand cradling Asami's head.

"I don't know if you want to wait or not but if you need a place to stay, you are more than welcome to stay with me on Air Temple Island. I'm sure we'll find a room," she whispered.

"Thank you, Korra."


	5. When Extremes Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami moves to Air Temple Island. Tarrlok is really starting to piss Korra off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the absolute worst I'm so sorry it took me so long but like, life sucks.

It was late by the time Asami stepped foot in her mansion. She could almost feel Korra's anxiety as she followed Asami into the house.

"Should I be here?" she asked quietly.

"I need you here," Asami replied. "Please."

Arms wrapped around her waist from behind and Korra's chin rested on her shoulder. Asami took a shuddering breath as she leaned back against her.

"So what now?"

"We take a minute because I really need this right now," Asami whispered. "After that, we go to my room and I start packing as much as I can because I never want to come back here again."

"It's late, Asami. You should get some sleep. Mako and Bolin are moving in tomorrow; you can share their boat to come over to the Island."

Asami gently extracted herself from Korra's arms and led the way to her bedroom. She stalked in, grabbed her suitcase from her closet, and immediately began to sort through her clothes. It took a few minutes for her to realize that Korra was hovering by the doorway.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be in your room?" Korra asked.

"Korra, I need you close to me right now so where I go, it's fine for you to come with me," Asami replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Korra nodded and walked in, wrapping Asami in a hug.

"I can do that," she murmured. "But I think I'll let you use the bathroom alone."

Asami couldn't help it; she laughed. Korra's hand moved up and down her back and Asami relaxed a bit more into her girlfriend.

"Will you do me a favour?" she whispered. Korra pulled back enough to look at Asami and nodded. "Will you stay with me tonight? I know it's really soon but-"

"Like, in your bed?"

"Yes. Just to sleep," Asami explained. "Please. You ... you make me feel safe."

"I can manage that," Korra replied softly.

* * *

"You all packed up?" Korra asked.

Asami glanced back at her suitcases and then nodded.

"I'll get breakfast ready and then we can load up the car and head out," she said.

"I can load the car while you get breakfast," Korra offered. "I can probably carry it all in one go."

"Only because you made me leave like, ten of them behind," Asami pouted.

Korra cupped Asami's face in her hands.

"No one needs that many outfits in their life."

Asami smirked and playfully rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, leaving Korra with the suitcases. Loading the car didn't take very long and when Korra made it back to the kitchen, she found Asami standing in front of the fridge.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Asami replied, turning to face Korra.

"Remembered that you don't know how to cook?" Korra teased.

"On the contrary, Avatar Korra."

"You can cook? I figured that you didn't since you had all this household staff."

"My dad taught me. I was just remembering the first time I had to cook for myself."

Korra wrapped Asami in a hug. Asami pressed her face against Korra's neck and her fingers gripped the soft fabric of Korra's shirt.

"C'mon, we can get breakfast at Air Temple Island," Korra said. "Pema is bound to have left over food."

"Especially since you weren't there, right?" Asami teased, sniffling slightly.

Korra brushed some of Asami's tears away before leaning in and gently rubbing her nose against her girlfriend's.

* * *

Asami was not prepared to be bombarded by Tenzin's kids when she got to the island, but Ikki was there, front and center, bouncing up and down. Luckily, Pabu had caught Ikki's and Meelo's attention for little bit, but after Jinora and Meelo took Mako and Bolin towards the men's rooms, Ikki walked with them.

"Asami, did you know that Korra likes Mako?" Ikki asked as they walked down the hall.

Korra cleared her throat rather violently as Asami smirked.

"I am completely aware of that," she said.

"I _liked_ Mako, Ikki. Now I like Asami," Korra growled.

"But it was just a little while ago that you-"

"And things change!" Korra announced.

Korra gripped Asami's arm and dragged her to a door, opening it and gesturing for her to enter. Asami was relieved to finally reach the room that she would be staying in. She was also relieved to know that it was right across the hall from Korra's room. Korra stepped in behind her and slammed the door shut.

"Hey!"

"Run along, Ikki!" Korra shouted. Asami chuckled and Korra turned around. "How is it? I know it's a little rustic compared to what you're used to."

"I think it's really charming. And the best part? Nothing here reminds me of my father," she replied. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's no problem. I'm here for anything you need," Korra said, stepping forward and gripping Asami's hands.

Asami pressed her forehead to Korra's and closed her eyes. She finally felt herself calming down slightly until a knock sounded at the door. Korra groaned and pulled away.

"Ikki, I swear, if you don't leave us alone, I'm gonna -"

The door slid open and Tenzin stepped in.

"Good day, ladies," he said. "Asami, welcome to the island."

"Thank you for having me," she replied, offering a polite bow.

Tenzin returned it before turning to Korra.

"Beifong's replacement, Saikhan, is going to be inducted as the new Chief of Police later on, I think it best if we both attend."

Korra sighed and nodded.

"Let me know when you leave and I'll come with," she said.

Tenzin nodded and went to leave, nodding towards Asami before closing the door.

"I should come too, I suppose. Girlfriend support," Asami offered.

"You don't have to. I know you have a lot to unpack and today has already been really stressful for you," Korra replied, taking Asami's hand in hers. "I'll be okay."

"No, I want to go. I think it might be too quiet here for me right now."

* * *

"What a crock of bull. Can you believe that Saikhan is going to report directly to Tarrlok?" Korra raged. "He's up to something, I know it! Expecting me to rejoin his task force and calling me a half-baked Avatar? And then _threatening_ me! What an ass."

"Don't worry about him, Korra," Asami soothed. "He's not worth it."

"He's right, though. I don't know what's wrong with me," Korra mumbled, sitting down beside Asami on Oogi's back. "I've memorized nearly all of the practice forms, but I still can't produce a single, measly puff of air!" Asami wrapped an arm around Korra's shoulders and rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back. "I'm a failure."

"Hey, don't say that," Asami whispered. "You'll get the hang of it, I know it. You just need to work through this."

"Amazing advice. I'll get right on that," Korra drawled.

"Asami's right," Tenzin chimed in. "Working through it is the best way. Aang not only had his bending teachers, but also his past lives to call upon for guidance. Have you ever made contact with your past lives?"

"Of course I haven't. Didn't you get the memo from the White Lotus? I'm a spiritual failure, too."

"You're not a failure," Asami urged.

"You may have made a connection without realizing it. Perhaps something that you mistook as a dream?" Tenzin continued.

"Maybe," Korra replied, not leaving her spot in Asami's arms. "I had a few weird hallucinations, but I hardly remember them."

Tenzin perked up at that, turning around slightly to look at his student.

"Did you see any of the previous Avatars in these visions?"

"I saw Aang. It seemed like he was in trouble. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know. But I urge you to meditate on these visions. I believe Aang's spirit must be trying to tell you something."

* * *

Saying that she felt like the worst Avatar ever was ... well, kind of a weight off of her shoulders. Especially since it prompted Asami to declare her "amazing", and Bolin to suggest that he, Korra, Asami, and Mako be the new generation of Team Avatar. Plus, watching Asami rock the Equalist glove and then pull up in front of her in a sleek Satomobile (that Asami probably helped to design) was pretty ... well, pretty hot. Asami turned on a police scanner and they were off.

" _Unit 2-16, cancel that 10-58 at Harmony Tower. Come back to the station, over._ "

"My dad had police scanners installed in all of his cars. I guess now I know why," Asami muttered.

Korra reached out and placed her hand on Asami's shoulder as the police scanner announced a jailbreak involving chi-blockers and Equalists. Looking up, the four saw the aforementioned enemies driving by.

The chase began and Korra only had a split second to appreciate how talented her girlfriend was at driving before they were flying over a truck, helping Asami make tight turns, and taking out the chi-blockers that had crash landed in the car. It had seemed like a win for Team Avatar when Mako took out the driver of the armored truck and everyone had been restrained again. Until, of course, Tarrlok turned up.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Oh hey, Tarrlok, it's nice to _finally_ see you!" Korra sassed. "We captured these escaped convicts for you."

"What you _did_ was tear up the city and prevent the authorities from getting anywhere _near_ the convicts!" he snapped.

"That's funny, I don't recall seeing you, your task force, _or_ the police at _all_ during all of this," Korra countered.

"This is your final warning," Tarrlok growled. "Stay out of my way."

* * *

Despite the warning, Team Avatar took to the streets again, heading to Dragon Flats Borough after the police scanner announced armed and dangerous Equalist activity. What they found instead was an entire section of Republic City in a blackout, and crowds of people rounded up behind police barriers. Surprisingly, police officers stood at the front of the barrier.

"Wait a second, these people aren't armed _or_ dangerous," Asami said as they walked towards the crowd.

"It sure doesn't look that way," Kora replied, frowning.

"All non-benders, return to your homes immediately," an officer announced.

"Yeah, as soon as you turn our power back on!" one of the people in the crowd shouted back.

"Disperse or you will all be arrested," the officer warned as the crowd cheered in support of the objector.

"You benders can't treat us this way!" a woman shouted. Korra walked up to the crowd and the woman spoke directly to her. "Please, help us! You're our Avatar, too!"

Korra took a breath and knocked the two officers in her path out of her way.

"Please stay calm. I'm gonna put a stop to this," she announced, catching sight of Tarrlok. She stalked over to him. "Tarrlok! You need to turn the power back on and leave these people alone!"

"Avatar Korra, you and your playmates have no business here," he declared.

"We're not going anywhere," Korra countered. "You don't have the right to treat these innocent people like criminals."

"This is an Equalist rally. There is nothing innocent about it!"

"They're not Equalists," Asami snapped, "they're just normal people who want their rights back!"

"They are the enemy!" Clearly finished with the conversation, Tarrlok turned to the officers. "Round up all these Equalists!"

The metalbenders stepped forward and bent the barriers around the crowd. Once secured, they bent the concrete out of the road, lifting the platforms of people up into the air to transport them to the station. Korra ran forward, reaching out to the earth and bending it back into the ground as she shouted, "stop!"

The platforms secured themselves in the road again and people immediately ducked under the barriers to escape. The only thing that caught Korra's attention was Asami's panicked "hey, let me go!"

Tarrlok had Asami locked in a water whip grip and was tugging her towards him.

"You're under arrest," he stated.

"What? You can't do that!" Mako shouted.

"Actually, I can," Tarrlok said, tugging once more to send Asami into the arms of two police officers. "She's a non-bender out past curfew and her father is a known Equalist conspirator."

"Let her go!" Mako spat.

"Arrest him _and_ his brother," Tarrlok ordered.

Metal cables wrapped around Mako and Bolin and Korra snapped.

"Tarrlok!" she snarled, ripping pieces of concrete from the road and raising them beside her.

"Unless you want to join your friends in prison, I suggest you put those down and go back to the Air Temple."

"Korra, listen to him, it's not worth it," Asami pleaded.

Korra let the earth hit the ground as she called out "I'll call Tenzin. He can get you out. You'll be okay."

The doors shut and the truck took off, leaving her with Tarrlok.

"So sad to see your little Team Avatar broken up. You had a good run," he drawled.

"This isn't over, Tarrlok."

"Oh, I believe it is."

* * *

After Tenzin's failed attempt at getting her friends (and girlfriend) out of prison, she decided that talking to Tarrlok would be the best thing to do. In hindsight, she knew that talking to Tarrlok would only lead to a fight, but she hadn't expected that he arrested Asami, Mako, and Bolin simply to get to her. He wasn't a fantastic fighter, but he definitely gave her a challenge, and probably gave her a few scars with his icicles.

However, Korra definitely did not expect to ever know what it felt like to have every cell, every speck of her blood controlled by someone else. Paused at the drop of a hat. But as she advanced towards Tarrlok with fire blossoming from her palms and no water in sight, she felt it. No matter how much she fought against it, her limbs twisted in unnatural angles and as it dawned on her that Tarrlok was a bloodbender, she also remembered that the full moon was two weeks away.

"It's ... not a full moon. How are you doing this?"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he growled.

Korra felt as he bent her blood upwards, lifting her into the air and she was soaring, hurtling towards the other end of the council chambers. She felt his grip on her blood release as she hit a pillar. She crashed to the ground, gasping for air. Tarrlok advanced, but the lack of oxygen combined with the amount of pain she was in caused Korra to black out.


	6. Out of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami and Mako butt heads over finding Korra. The Avatar discovers that she is also a sassbender.

Asami had definitely had some bad nights, but this had to be in the running for the top five. She had thought that Tenzin and Korra would have been able to bail her out by now. Time no longer existed as she stared at the ceiling of her cell, but the light filtering in through the window let her know that it was morning.

 _I suppose I should start thinking of a way to get out of here,_ she thought, folding her arms behind her head. _Maybe I could pick the lock? I don't want to ruin my hair clip but I may have to..._

A shifting in metal drew her out of her thoughts and she sat up slightly to see Lin Beifong standing in the doorway.

"Hope you got enough beauty rest," she quipped. "C'mon, I'm busting you out."

"Thanks. I owe you."

They tiptoed down the hall and Asami couldn't help herself; she flew at Mako and Bolin once Lin bent the door open.

"Asami!" Mako caught her in a hug and held on tightly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled against his chest.

"Hate to break up the party, but Korra's in trouble," Lin said. "Amon captured her."

Asami felt her heart clench and her blood run cold.

"No," Mako replied, loosening his grip on Asami. "No, she can't be gone."

"Come on," Lin said. "We have an Avatar to rescue."

Asami barely registered Mako helping her walk. She was too stunned. She was too upset. She was too scared.

_The one person in the world she's admitted to being afraid of is the one who captured her. But how? When?_

* * *

Korra was sure that if she hit the metal box one more time, the skin across her fists would finally split open. She wasn't sure if she cared anymore. She needed to escape, to tell everyone that Tarrlok was a bloodbender and that he was abusing his power in the city.

"Somebody!" she screamed, ramming against the door. "Help! Please!"

Panting, Korra fell to her knees. She shifted so her back was against one of the walls and she sat on the bottom of the box.

"Please," she murmured.

* * *

Saying that Tenzin was shocked to see Lin, Asami, Mako, and Bolin would be an understatement. The airbending master was so flabbergasted that he couldn't seem to form a complete sentence. Lin helpfully cut him off with a swift, "I figured you could use our help finding Korra."

"Do you have any leads?" Asami asked, trying her best to stay calm.

"I've been on the phone all morning, but nothing yet," Tenzin said.

"We need Naga!" Mako piped up. "She can track Korra!"

"I'm afraid her polar bear dog is missing as well," Tenzin sighed.

"So ... where do we start?" Bolin asked.

"My guess is that the Equalists are hiding underground in the maze of tunnels beneath the city," Lin said.

"Underground," Asami said. "Just like my father's secret factory. Figures."

"Yeah, yeah, that makes sense!" Bolin said. "When those chi-blockers had me in their truck, it sounded like we drove into a tunnel!"

Mako's face lit up and he started to leave the room, calling behind him, "I know where to start looking! C'mon!"

* * *

_**There was a man eating at a restaurant table. Flashes. Metal cable around his wrist, a smart comment as he's arrested...** _

* * *

Mako led them to a maze of alleyways. Using her seismic sense, Lin helped them find a tunnel and also motorcycle tracks.

"Let's try this way," Mako said, walking towards a random tunnel.

"And if she's not there?" Asami asked.

"Then we pick another tunnel until we find her!" he snapped.

* * *

_**"We find Yakone guilty of all charges and sentence him to life in prison."** _

* * *

As it turned out, the first tunnel was the best choice. Not five minutes into their exploration and they were forced to hide as a pair of motorcycles zoomed down the tunnel and disappeared behind a hidden door. With Lin's expert metalbending, the group followed the bikes straight to the train tracks that would lead them to the prison. After capturing the guards, Lin, Mako, and Tenzin took over the search for Korra and for Lin's officers while Bolin and Asami guarded the two Equalists.

"Do you think Korra's okay?" Bolin asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm trying not to think about the fact that she might not be," Asami replied. "I'm really worried about her." Warmth enveloped her and she realized that Bolin had pulled her into a hug. She took a shuddering breath and gripped the back of his shirt. "Thank you."

"You needed it. Korra's the Avatar; she'll be fine. And we're gonna find her, and she's gonna be so happy to see you that you guys will hug for _hours_!"

Asami cracked a smile at that as they pulled away from each other.

"Thank you," she repeated, reaching out to ruffle Bolin's hair.

Their moment was ruined by alarms blaring out of nowhere.

"Do you think-?"

"It doesn't matter; we need to make sure that tram is ready to go."

* * *

_**Spine-shivering laughter, the inability to move...** _

* * *

"What the hell do you mean, 'Korra wasn't there'?" Asami snapped.

"Tarrlok set us up. He has Korra; he faked the whole attack," Mako grumbled. The group headed towards City Hall, Tenzin and Lin leading the charge while Mako trailed behind with Asami and Bolin to catch them up. "He kidnapped Korra. We need to figure out why."

Though she hated to admit it, the knot in Asami's chest loosened slightly. The fact that Korra was taken by Tarrlok and not Amon was slightly comforting. At least this way, Korra was guaranteed to still have her bending and Asami knew now that her girlfriend's possible terror wasn't as great as it could have been.

"Do we know where Tarrlok is?" Asami asked.

"I think that's what we're about to find out," Bolin replied, stroking a strong palm down Asami's spine.

They stalked into the main hall where the other council members were waiting with Chief Saikhan.

"Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice," Tenzin rumbled.

"Have you news of Avatar Korra?" Tarrlok asked, walking up behind them.

Asami tensed, her fingers flexing inside of her glove, but Tenzin beat her to the accusation.

"We do. _You_ kidnapped her, Tarrlok," he hurled.

"I am _shocked_ you would accuse me of such an evil act! I already explained; Equalists attacked us and took her!"

"There were no chi-blockers here last night. You planted the evidence, didn't you?"

"That is a ridiculous accusation!" Tarrlok spat.

"It's true! He took her!" The new voice was meek, but strong in its accusation. Everyone turned towards the gallery balcony to find the council page hiding behind a pillar. "I was here when Avatar Korra arrived last night. Councilman Tarrlok ordered me to leave. I was on my way out when I saw Tarrlok bring her down to the garage. He told her that she'd never see Republic City again!"

"That is _nonsense_! Everyone knows you're nothing but a squeaky-voiced liar!" Tarrlok snapped.

"Why did you wait until now to 'fess up?" Lin asked, her voice surprisingly even.

"I was terrified to tell because ... because Tarrlok is a bloodbender! He bloodbent Avatar Korra!"

Asami inhaled sharply as Tenzin turned to Tarrlok and said. "don't make this worse for yourself. Tell us where you have Korra!"

Just as she was about to drop down in a defensive position, Asami felt her entire body seize up. Her limbs twisted at odd, unnatural angles, and she dropped to the ground. Her vision grew fuzzy, and she felt lightheaded. The last thought she had was that Tarrlok was bloodbending them all, blocking the blood flow to their brains so they would blackout.

* * *

_**"Yakone ... you won't get away with this..."** _

_**"Republic City is mine, Avatar. I'll be back one day to claim it."** _

* * *

Warmth moved up and down her arm, soothing her as her eyes cracked open. Asami released a soft groan and felt herself being helped up off the floor. Looking to her right, she found Mako kneeling beside her, still rubbing her arm. She offered a weak smile, grateful that he was helping.

"-this awful dream that that Korra was taken by this evil bloodbender. So weird."

"That really happened, Bolin," Asami said, massaging the bridge of her nose. She still had a slight headache. "He knocked us out."

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed. "Where is he? Is he here right now?"

"He's long gone," Saikhan said. "I'll alert the whole force."

"We've only been out for a little while," Lin remarked as Saikhan walked away. "Maybe we can still pick up Tarrlok's trail."

"It could lead us to Korra," Tenzin agreed. "Let's go!"

* * *

_**The sensation of being bloodbent, close to death and in so much pain...and then it was gone in a flash of pure white light. Yakone was trapped, and she reached out, blue arrows on the backs of her hands, her thumb pressed against Yakone's forehead and ...** _

_**"I'm taking away your bending ... for good," Aang's voice rumbled.** _

"Aang. This whole time ... you were trying to warn me about Tarrlok," Korra whispered, running her hands over her face.

A door upstairs opened and she stood, preparing herself for anything.

"My life is a disaster now, thanks to you," came Tarrlok's snarl.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think kidnapping the Avatar would work out a bit better for yourself? Or is it that your bloodbending secret is out in the open?" Korra drawled. A growl was the only response she received and, trying to bait him into opening the door, she continued. "I know how you bloodbent me without it being a full moon. You're Yakone's son."

There was silence and Korra wished she could see Tarrlok just to get a read on his reaction. Then a soft sigh came from close to the box.

"I _was_ his son. But in order to win Republic City, I had to become someone else. My father failed because he tried to rule the city from its rotten underbelly. _My_ plan was perfect. I was to be the city's saviour. But _you_ ," he snarled. "You ruined _everything_!"

"Tarrlok, the jig is up and you have nowhere to go," Korra said evenly.

"Oh no. No, I'll escape and start a new life," he replied. "And _you_ are coming as my _hostage_."

Dread shot through her as she started slamming against the door again. The skin on her knuckles finally broke and blood started to bead at the cuts, but she kept slamming the door, trying to escape as she shouted, "you'll never get away with this!"

The normal amount of footsteps it took Tarrlok to reach the front door was cut down drastically. Korra slammed her fist against the door once more before realizing that Tarrlok had stopped in his tracks at the top of the stairs.

"Amon!"

_No. No, not him. Not **here** , while I'm boxed up and can't defend myself!_

"It is time for you to be Equalized," Amon stated.

"You fool," Tarrlok chuckled. "You've never faced bending like mine!"

There were several thuds upstairs, but footsteps resonated through the floorboards.

"What ... what are you?"

"I am the Solution," Amon replied. Tarrlok screamed and there was another thud as a body hit the floor. "I'll take care of him. You four retrieve the Avatar. Do not underestimate her. Electrocute the box to knock her out before you open it."

 _I don't think so_ , she thought.

Korra looked down at her armband and glanced up at the grating in the top of the box. She tugged her armband off and, as quickly as she could so that the Equalists couldn't see, she slipped it over the grating and gripped it tightly.

"It's payback time," a gravelly voice declared.

Korra jumped up just as the box lit up with electric currents. Trying to make it as realistic as possible, she cried out loudly, groaning and whimpering until the currents stopped. She dropped immediately and as soon as the box was opened, she shot a kick of fire out at her attackers. Taking advantage of her distraction, she jumped up and summoned the earth below her as she landed, causing a mini earthquake beneath the Equalists' feet. She took off up the stairs and exploded through the front door, coming face to face with Amon. Trying not to let the fear grip her, Korra sent a storm of icicles towards him before turning and taking off in the opposite direction. She had no idea where she was, but the only thing she knew at that point was that she had to run, otherwise she risked loosing her bending.

The ground dropped into a steep slope and she dropped down with it, skiing with her waterbending and not paying attention to where she was going. She caught her ankle on an uprooted tree trunk and went flying. She landed with a grunt and slid down, her back slamming against a tree. Exhausted, aching, and not sure what else to do, she let her eyes slide closed. A howl sounded and she recognized it as Naga. She tried to call out but she was too battered. She cracked her eyes open in time to see her polar bear dog rushing towards her. Knowing she would be safe with Naga, she let the fuzziness take over.

* * *

"We've been flying around all night," Asami whispered. "What ... what if we can't find her?"

Bolin slung an arm around her shoulders and tugged her close.

"Don't you worry, Asami. We'll find your girlfriend!"

Asami let her head drop onto his broad shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I really hope you're right, Bo."

A loud howl echoed through the streets.

"That sounds like Naga!" Mako cried. Tenzin led Oogi around a corner towards the noise and Mako pointed to the giant white animal wandering the street. "Down there!"

Oogi landed and before Asami could untangle herself from Bolin, Mako was already on the ground, taking off towards Korra. Asami scrambled down after him but Tenzin beat them both to the Avatar.

"Korra! Oh, thank goodness."

"Where's Tarrlok?" Lin asked. "How did you get away?"

Korra was sprawled across Naga's saddle and she groaned as she tried to sit up properly. Asami moved past Tenzin to help her down.

"Let's get her patched up first," she said.

"Give her some space," Mako snapped, practically on Asami's heels.

"Asami," Korra rasped.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart, I'm here. We're going to fix you up and -"

Mako stepped in front of her to scoop Korra off of Naga's saddle.

"I've got this," he said firmly.

Korra squirmed in his arms, twisting to get to Asami. Asami frowned and grasped his arm tightly, frowning at him.

"Actually, _I've_ got this," she said, slipping her arms under Korra's knees and across her back, bracing her properly. She turned to Korra. "Is this okay? Are you comfortable for now? It's a short walk to Oogi, I promise."

"I'm glad you're here," Korra murmured, resting her head on Asami's shoulder.

"I was so worried about you," Asami whispered back. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Stay with me?"

"Nothing could drag me away."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, there is no Makorra in this story.
> 
> Also, I had to take a ten minute break to chant "let the bodies hit the floor" because I'm a horrible person.


End file.
